An Unexpected Gift
by jazzyproz
Summary: Inspired by re-watching 'Man in the Fallout Shelter', Booth and Brennan spend their first Christmas together after leaving the confinements of the lab. Starts out in canon, drifts into my own world. Rating for the possibility of a second chapter.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hello and Happy New Year! This little story started haunting me last month and puttered around in my brainwaves for a while. I re-watched The Man in the Fallout Shelter while I wrote my Secret Santa Fic (Oh whoa is me, the trials of writing Bones FanFics forces me to rewatch Season One yumminess)... Sorry, I was distracted… Anyway, in re-watching that ep, I was haunted by the unknown present that Brennan opened from her parents. The notion of Temperance Brennan carrying that package through 15 years of her life truly baffled me, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. So, that is where this little piece came from. **

**I hope you like it. **

**Disclaimer. I still don't own anything. Bones belongs to its creators, I'm just hanging out for a bit playhing . **

"Did Mommy _really _say I get to stay with you for the _whole _rest of today and _tomorrow _too?" The excited four year-old bounced on his dad's hip as Booth carried him from the elevator, turning towards his apartment.

Booth flashed his son a wide, playful smile. "She sure did, Bub. Pretty awesome, huh?" He lowered Parker to the floor to unlock the door while collecting the newspapers that had accumulated on the floor. Before they could enter the apartment, the boys heard Booth's neighbor beckoning them from down the hall.

"Mr. Booth? Oh, Mr. Booth, you're home!" Mrs. Holmes shuffled quickly from her doorway with a kind smile and a package in her hands. "And _look_ how big you've grown, young man!" She made a fuss over Parker, causing the little boy to grin while eye-balling the bright green and red bows atop the box she was carrying.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Holmes," Booth greeted her warmly and accepted the outstretched offering. "Thank you so much, you didn't have to do this…" He looked down at the box and knew immediately it would contain an ample supply of homemade cookies, candies and fudge, as was a typical gift from the elderly grandmother.

Ignoring the agent, Mrs. Holmes bent at the waist and cupped Parker's adorable face. "How are you, Parker? Were you good this year? Did Santa bring you fun things?"

Proudly thrusting his newest acquisition into the air for display, the child launched into a dissertation that would have rivaled any ten year-old's Christmas essay assignment. "I got a new robot dat does things and sits and walks and other stuff, but it gets confusded sometimes and doesn't do what Daddy says t'do. Dat's okay 'cause it's the coolest robot I ever got… It's _waaaaay_ better than the GI Joe I opened from Santa... GI Joe doesn't do _nothin_' - I gotta move his arms an' legs myself but dat's okay too 'cause Mommy says if I'ma good boy, after da _Holly_days is over, we can look for a jeep for GI Joe an' I hafta be able to move his arms an' legs to fit intoa jeep truck…" He inhaled sharply and continued while staring admiringly at the prized toy in his hands. "But my new robot does other things all by itself, well, not by itself really, 'cause you gotta tell it what t'do, but...anyway, wanna see?! See? It's all shiny an' awesome an' it was made by a geenie- no, a _gee_nee_iu_s," he struggled to remember the word his dad had used in the car on the way home when the adult tried to describe the creator of the amazing toy. He placed it on the hardwood floor in the hallway and got down on his hands and knees, eye-to-eye with his toy, not noticing the silent laughter between the adults who were listening to his excited ramblings.

"When I push dis button it turns on," the robot sprang to life, "an' den I can tell it to SIT!" He pointed at it as if it were a dog, but laughed hysterically and fell to his bottom when, instead of sitting as it was told, the toy started running in the opposite direction, tripping and stumbling over an uneven floorboard. Crawling after his prized possession, he lifted it with care and giggled uncontrollably as the machine tried to roll itself into a ball. Once again, he raised the heavy robot into the air, faltering a little under its weight, so he could show Mrs. Holmes once more. "It's my most favoritest toy I ever got…" His rosy cheeks and bright eyes danced as Mrs. Holmes pulled him in for a warm hug.

"Oh, Sweetheart, it's a wonderful gift. I'm so glad you had a nice Christmas so far," she nodded at her neighbor, "and it's so nice to see that you're able to spend some time with him."

"Yes, ma'am," Booth smiled as his son backed up and leaned against his thighs, standing on the toes of Booth's polished dress shoes in the process. He spoke to Mrs. Holmes, but it was clearly for Parker's benefit. "Parker and I are gonna watch a Christmas movie before dinner, and probably play with his robot, and I _think_," he glanced down at the toddler version of himself as his son looked up from beneath disheveled blond curls, "that Santa may have stopped at my apartment last night and filled _someone's _stocking…"

Parker gasped and stumbled a little as he started pulling his dad towards the door keeping him separated from as-yet-undiscovered goodies. "C'm_on_, Daddy! Let's see if he did!"

Thankful that he had thought ahead and filled his son's stocking a couple days prior to Christmas, Booth smiled at his kind neighbor. "Thank you, Mrs. Holmes," he raised the box of snacks. "For this _and_ for letting Parker show you his new toy."

"My pleasure, Mr. Booth. He's a fine boy," she watched him dancing in front of the apartment door. "My sons all had girls, so I only have granddaughters to spoil, and I have to admit… I kind of miss the energy level that boys bring to a holiday." She pointed to the antsy dance that the little blond was doing while waiting for his father. "You better get that boy inside to find his stocking before he passes out from excitement."

"Have a good afternoon, Mrs. Holmes. And Merry Christmas." Booth leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, just as he would a kindly aunt or elderly relative. "Thanks again."

He watched to make sure she made it back into her apartment and he heard the locks slip into place before turning back to find Parker down on the floor again, staring nose to nose with his robot as he told the toy some all-important secret that only four year-olds are privy to. He watched him for a moment and sent a prayer of thanks to the Big Guy for blessing him with a good boy and for allowing him the time to share on this special holiday.

B/B/B/B

The Booth boys were watching the tale end of _Polar Express_ and Parker was happily ringing the oversized jingle bell that Santa had stuffed into the toe of his stocking. The child's head was resting on his father's thigh as his attention was divided as evenly as possible between the TV and his toy. Raising his arm straight into the air, he clanged the bell enthusiastically. "Can _you _hear it, Daddy?"

_The President can hear it_, Booth thought, but he answered in a positive tone. "Sure can, pal. It sounds nice, huh? You're one lucky guy to get your very own Official Jingle Bell from Santa's sleigh." Booth would be forever grateful to the woman at the checkout counter at the hobby store where he'd purchased some of Parker's smaller items, as it was her suggestion that he buy the bell. _Of course,_ Booth pondered silently with a smirk, _she probably just wanted as many of those bells sold from her counter as possible. But hell, Parker loves it, so the ulterior motive is inconsequential_.

Watching the end movie credits start to roll, Parker turned his attention back to the shiny silver bell in his hand. He rang it gentler than moments before, hypnotized by the colorful tree lights that reflected on its nickel-plated surface. "Who was da lady, Daddy?" His voice was small, his tone almost dream-like.

"What, Parks?" Booth looked down at his son, brushing an unruly curl from his forehead.

"That lady. Who was she?"

"Parker, you know Mrs. Holmes. She always brings you goodies when you're here on a holiday…" Booth's forehead creased in confusion at his son's distraction.

Light brown eyes left their purchase on the bell and moved up to Booth's much darker, deep-set orbs. "No, _not _Mrs. Holmes." He rolled his eyes playfully, then smiled. An uncontrollable blush crept into his young complexion. "Da _pretty _lady. Dr. Lennon? At Syd's?"

"Oh! Dr. _**Br**_ennan, not Lennon. That's Daddy's partner at work. She wanted to meet you." Booth smiled at his son's description of the anthropologist, chuckling that even his child recognized his partner's beauty.

"Oh." He moved his focus back to the bell in his little fist. "Why was she sad for?"

"Parks, Bones wasn't sad."

A confused gaze darted back to his father's. "_Bones_?"

"I mean Dr. Brennan." Booth shrugged, knowing that his partner still somewhat despised the nickname he'd imposed upon her. "Her name is Dr. Brennan, but I call her Bones. It's a nickname."

"Can I call her Bones, too?"

"Well, you'd have to ask for her permission. She doesn't usually let people call her anything other than her real name." He tapped Parker's nose, "But maybe if you ask _really nice_, she'll let you." Booth winked, figuring his son would forget about the suggestion by the time he was likely to see her again.

"Was she waiting for _her _little boy to come to Syd's for their Christmas together? Is that why she was sad that I got there first?"

"No, Bones doesn't have a son. Why do you think she was sad, Parker?" He wondered about his boy's perception of his partner and where the questions were stemming from.

Parker pushed himself up from his prone position on the couch and sat on his knees, facing his father. "You know when you smile, Daddy, your mouth goes like this," he bared his teeth playfully, "and your eyes squeeze up, like this…" He squinted his eyes and mirrored the action with his chubby little fingers, making oval eye-shapes squeezing shut.

"Yeah…?"

"Well," the little boy was suddenly very serious. "Her eyes didn't do that." He looked longingly at his father. "Her eyes were pretty, but they were sad."

"She's OK, buddy," he stretched his arm out and pulled his boy close. Pressing a kiss to the soft hair, Booth's mind wandered to Brennan's behavior over the course of their quarantine at the lab and throughout the investigation into Careful Lionel's ultimate demise.

"Can we call her, Daddy? No one should be sad on Christmas, right?" He crawled over onto Booth's lap and looked up at him intently. "If she wasn't waiting for her little boy to come to Syd's restaurant, who is she going to eat with?"

"Bones tends to eat by herself, Bub. She prefers it that way," Booth made the excuse, not really believing it himself. "Why are you so interested in what Dr. Brennan is doing?"

The little Booth raised a shoulder, not really understanding his own curiosity in the stranger. "I dunno…. Can we call her? Please, Daddy? I can ask her if I can call her Bones like you do."

"OK," he glanced at the clock. "It's only 6:00. How about we call her and see if she wants to meet us at the diner."

"Can I ask her!? Please!? huh?" Parker started to bounce, causing Booth to cringe at where the boy's knees were landing while he balanced on his lap.

"Whoa, Parks, easy," he reached into his pocket and extracted his phone. "I'll put her on speakerphone and you can do the asking, how about that?" He dialed and awaited the familiar alto voice he had quickly grown attracted to, nevermind a_ddicted to_, ever since that first time he'd encountered her lecture at American University when she challenged his intelligence for the first, _but certainly not last_, time.

"Brennan," she cleared her throat as she spoke.

"Hi Dr. Brwennen, it's Parker Booth."

"Hello Parker, is everything OK?" Brennan felt a moment of panic that a little boy whom she'd only _just _met that afternoon was calling her from his dad's cell phone. "Where is your father?"

"Hi Bones," he was interjecting as soon as he heard the panic in her voice. "I'm here, you're on speaker."

"Oh, I see…"

"Can I call you 'Bones', too? Like Daddy does?"

"Umm, well," she sniffed, angry with her own emotions for breaking down just moments before when she opened the long-forgotten-but-not-_really_-forgotten present that was left behind by her parents a lifetime ago.

Sensing that something was amiss, Booth immediately switched off speaker and moved the phone to his ear. "Bones, what's wrong?" The silence on the other end was deafening. "Bones? Where are you? Are you alright?"

Fear crept into his voice, and Brennan was distractedly surprised at herself that she was able to detect the indicators in the fluctuation of his tonality. "I'm fine, Booth," she hesitated, not wanting to get into the details of her personal business. "I'm working."

"Working? Bones, you shouldn't be at work still."

She rolled her eyes. "_Why_, Booth? Because it's _Christmas_?"

Booth could hear mockery in her voice, and a touch of sarcasm as well. But there was something else... Something that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but knew was there. Something akin to solemnity, but he found her to be such an enigma that he struggled to fully comprehend the inner intricacies of Temperance Brennan.

"Yeah, Bones," his voice softened ever so slightly. "Because it's Christmas…." He looked down at his son who was scowling at having been omitted from the conversation. "Listen, Bones, Parks and I were gonna head over to the Royal Diner for dinner and wondered if you'd like to join us. You know, if you haven't eaten yet." He winked at his boy. "Our treat, whatdya say?" Not hearing a response right away, he worried that he'd upset her by interrupting work. "Please?"

As Brennan listened to her partner's request, also hearing the not-at-all-whispered whispers from the little boy who'd wished her Merry Christmas earlier that afternoon, she felt her eyes drift over and settle on the gift she had opened moments earlier. She remembered holidays with her parents, _with her family_, before they all abandoned her. In a single flash, she recalled the warm feelings of home, the aroma of a family recipe permeating the house, the laughter and teasing… the love. Those memories felt like a lifetime ago… And sadly, they were bitter reminders of how much it hurt when those she trusted, those she depended upon, told her she wasn't worth fighting for. She felt a wave of anxiety wash over her body, resulting in a near nauseous experience.

"Bones?"

His deep voice brought her back to reality. Wrinkling her forehead she refocused her attention. "You're taking Parker to the _diner _for your Christmas dinner? I thought that Christmas Dinner was, I don't know, like a special event… The diner doesn't sound very unique." She tilted her head and moved from her seat back over to the couch where her wadded-up wrapping paper sat discarded beside the box that would have meant so much to her as a 15-year-old.

"Well," Booth stumbled, knowing that his budget for fancy meals was pretty limited, and suddenly feeling inadequate. "Parks likes the burgers there, and you know that I love the pie… It's not so much about the location as it is just spending time together." He smiled at the pleading eyes that was looking up at him. "We just enjoy having Christmas together." Booth uncharacteristically started to back-pedal. "Listen, Bones, it's OK. You don't have to meet us...we just thought it would be nice. It's no big deal, but-"

"Wouldn't you rather a real home-cooked meal, Booth? I know how much you like 'comfort food'." She closed the box and stood, carrying the package over to her well-worn messenger bag.

"Um, well, sure, but," the agent stuttered, "the events of the past few days managed to keep me out of the stores and my cabinets are pretty bare…" His sentence faded, wondering why he was getting the third-degree from his partner about what kind of dinner he was providing for his son. Feeling defeat, Booth silently shook his head at Parker, letting him know that Bones wouldn't be joining them at the diner. "Look, I know you're busy, Bones. I'm sorry we disturbed you…"

"Can you be at my apartment in about 45 minutes?" She pulled on her trenchcoat, cradling the phone against one ear, knowing all the while that the request was probably the furthest thing from Booth's expectations. "Or would that make it too late to eat?"

"Uh, sure Bones. You want us to pick you up? That works. It's Christmas, there's no set dinner time." Booth couldn't hide the surprising happiness he felt that his partner had just agreed to joining him and his son for Christmas dinner.

"No."

"No what, Bones?" Now the agent was confused... No one else in the world was able to keep him guessing like the woman on the other end of his call. First she wanted them to pick her up in 45 minutes. Now she doesn't. "You don't want to eat with us, after all?"

"Yes, I _do_ want to eat with you, Booth. I already have a keen knowledge if your tastes in food, but can you tell me, does Parker like lasagna?" She was approaching her car in the parking garage by this time and wasn't sure Booth had caught onto her plans.

"Yeah, he sure does. Why?"

"Well, I don't see a reason you should go to an ordinary eating establishment for what is supposed to be a special event. I was planning to make enough to freeze individual servings for myself, but, if you are inclined to share a meal with me, I'd like to invite you and Parker over. Tonight. In less than an hour unless that's too sudden…"

"Wow, Bones. That sounds awesome. Great, I mean, as long as you're sure. We didn't mean to intrude…"

"Of course I'm sure, Booth. I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't mean it." Her tone was no-nonsense but friendly. Booth could hear her smile through the phone. "Ask Parker if he would like to come over for dinner."

Knowing it didn't really make a difference to his four year-old where they would eat, he pacified his partner and smiled at his son. "Dr. Brennan is inviting us to her home for dinner, Parks. Would you like to go there?"

Light brown eyes instantly smiled at his father, but then grew serious. "Ask her if I can bring my robot, Daddy," he held his toy up with two hands. "Please?"

Brennan heard the boy's question in the background and felt an unexpected fondness for the child swell in her chest. Glancing at her passenger seat as she waited at a red light, she spied a little edge of torn wrapping paper peeking out where the flap of her messenger bag had fallen open. Remembering how hard her brother tried to give her a happy Christmas the year their parents disappeared, she was filled with shame at how horrible she'd treated him, basically telling him that he wasn't enough for her. Brennan realized now that her behavior was brought on by a level of immaturity that was natural for an emotionally stunted, introverted early-teen, but knowing the truth behind her poorly chosen actions didn't make it any easier to accept.

"Parks wants to know if it's alright if he brings his robot to dinner, too."

Booth's smile could be heard in the way his voice lilted in question, and Brennan couldn't help but chuckle. "I look forward to seeing the three of you shortly, Booth."

Grinning at her welcoming invitation, Booth exhaled the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Thanks, Bones. We'll see you soon."

B/B/B/B

Brennan welcomed the Booth boys into her penthouse apartment with a warm smile as she opened the door wide. "Perfect timing. Dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes." She ushered them into her living room and stopped dead when Parker did an about-face directly in front of her.

"See my robot?" He thrust it into the air above his head and gave her an adoring smile. "His name is Rob."

"I see," she grinned at the boy, subconsciously noting the familial traits he'd inherited from his striking father. "And why did you name him 'Rob'?"

"'Cause Daddy said robot is spelt R-O-B-O-T. And Rob is spelt R-O-B."

"Oh… Well, then, that's a very logical name, then, isn't it?" Brennan nodded in approval at the child's rationality.

Parker nodded in blind agreement, smiling at the pretty woman and turned to look at his dad, still smiling. "What's logical mean, Daddy?"

Booth almost burst out laughing. His son was agreeing with Brennan, not having a clue why he was nodding, and it was a feeling with which Booth was not entirely unfamiliar. Oftentimes, Brennan would say something that the agent instinctively knew was correct, even if he didn't understand a damn thing coming out of her perfectly formed lips. "It means that she thinks 'Rob' is a great name for your robot… She thinks you made a good choice."

Beaming at the indirect compliment, Parker turned back to Brennan and handed over his toy, fully expecting her to inspect his prize, but she didn't seem to understand what he wanted. He looked at the puzzled look in her eyes and smiled. "Would you like to hold him?"

"Umm," she tilted her head, glancing quickly up at her partner, who stood just to the side of her lounge chair, watching their interaction. Lowering her eyes once more, she smiled and accepted the outstretched toy. "It's a very handsome robot…" She was not at all sure what the boy expected her to say, but it seemed like he expected her to compliment it.

A much younger version of her partner tilted his head as he gazed up at her. "You use a lotta big words..." He stated matter-of-factly and turned back to see his father standing slightly behind him smirking.

Recognizing the look on his boy's face as one he often found staring back at himself in the mirror whenever he would recall an earlier conversation with Brennan, Booth chuckled and walked towards the pair. He squatted down beside Parker and grinned up at their hostess as he clarified for his son.

"Yeah, she likes big words, Buddy." He looked back to Parker. "The word 'handsome' means good-looking... So, she thinks your robot is a good-looking toy."

Happy with the response, Parker reached out and took her hand, tugging it slightly. "I brought my stocking to show you, too." His smile was so sweet and innocent that Brennan had no choice but to agree to look at the small collection of treasures.

"Alright, Parker. We have approximately 10 minutes still before dinner is ready, so, do you think we can examine the contents of your sock facsimile in that time frame?" She grinned, knowing exactly what she had just done, but waited for his response.

Light brown eyes narrowed up at her for a few seconds before his mental wheels started metaphorically turning. Booth watched and waited, not wanting to rush his son's reasoning skills, knowing that his partner was, in some anthropological way, testing Parker and cataloguing his response.

After a long pause, Parker deduced what the woman was asking and his smile grew. "We have time to look't some-a my stuff..." He reached down and grabbed his stocking out of the canvas bag that his dad insisted he use rather than carry the stocking by itself like he started to do as they left his apartment. "An' den afta dinna we can look at the rest..." He smiled proudly when his dad's partner agreed with his decision and squatted down immediately, sitting lotus style across from him.

Booth grinned, surprised at the look of anticipation spread across his partner's face and he slowly rose from where he was knelt down beside his son. "Bones," he said quietly, "I'm just gonna throw this into the freezer to chill it a little," he pulled a bottle of wine from the same canvas bag that had produced Parker's stocking. "I'll be right back."

She grinned at the bottle in his hand. She knew that the liquor store below Booth's apartment was closed on Christmas, so there was no way her partner had purchased the bottle on his way over here. Yet, she noted that it was her favorite brand, which meant he had already purchased the label prior to her invitation to dinner. In the back of her mind she wondered how long ago he had bought it. It was less than a month before that she had mentioned to him the preference, so that also made her wonder what his motivation was when he picked up the Sauvignon Blanc. Before he made it to the kitchen, she glanced over her shoulder to catch his attention.

"Booth?"

"Yeah, Bones?"

"Under normal circumstances, I would never ask a dinner guest to do this, but would you mind putting the garlic bread into the oven? It's already laid out on the cookie sheet, it just needs to go onto the second oven rack."

He held her eyes for a moment with a grateful gaze. "Sure thing, is there anything else I can help with, Bones?" He was happy and willing to do whatever his partner needed. After all, she was generous enough to have invited him and his little boy over for a spontaneous dinner on a holiday she typically didn't celebrate.

"No thanks, but help yourself to anything you want." Brennan felt her cheeks grow hot with a sudden flush when their eyes met. She was no stranger to the physiological and biological indicators that a body emits when it finds someone attractive, and there was no denying that her body was drawn to her partner… Shaking herself from her momentary distraction of the warm, dark depths of Booth's eyes, she couldn't stop the self-conscious chuckle that escaped her throat. "Pot holders are in the drawer to the left of the stove."

Booth fought back the smirk that threatened to break free at just the little bit of knowledge that Temperance Brennan was allowing him to essentially make himself 'at home'. There was something almost intimate in being welcomed into a woman's home, being permitted to help finish their dinner preparations, no matter how minimal the task. "M'kay, be right back," he winked playfully and carried their wine to the freezer before turning his attention to the one job she'd asked of him.

Ever observant, Booth could hear the ramblings of his son in the adjoining room, followed by the murmuring responses of his socially-awkward partner. He took the opportunity to take the dishes and utensils that were piled on the center kitchen island and move them over to the dining table, setting their places upon the empty placemats. Once the table was ready, he glanced at the timer and knew he had 6 ½ minutes before the bread would be ready. He opened cabinets until he found drinking glasses, selecting a plastic one for his son and water glasses and wine goblets for himself and Brennan. He walked back towards the living room and paused to take in the scene. When he'd gone out into the kitchen, Brennan sat cross-legged facing his boy, who sat on his knees. At some point during their muttered conversation, Parker had haphazardly kicked off his shoes, crawled into Brennan's lap and was currently showing her the 'Child's Introduction to Science' book set that Santa had left for him.

Booth could hear the excitement in his son's voice as he explained to the anthropologist the reason he liked this particular gift. "An' Daddy says that if I practice real hard and read every day, even jus' a little, that I can be a _geeneeous_ like his friend who made the robot _and _like you…" The child never took his eyes off the books gripped in his little hands, not even when he struggled once again with the word _genius_, until he mentioned becoming as smart as she. "Daddy says you're da most smartest person he knows. He telled me that he wants me to be smarter than him…. But my Daddy's really smart, though, so I dunno if I can be smarter like him…" He wrinkled his nose as he moved his gaze between the two pale eyes that were watching him. "Do you know that my Daddy is smart?"

"Your father is very intelligent, Parker," Brennan answered clinically, but noticed the confused look and smiled warmly. "Umm, I mean... yes, your Daddy is very, _very _smart, Parker. And I can tell that you are going to be just as smart as he is." She smiled when he dropped his head to her shoulder while looking back at his books.

"But I don't know how to do the letters yet…" He muttered almost inaudibly, referring to his inability to read, but she heard him loud and clear.

"You will, Parker. You have time to learn the words." She recognized now, some of what she saw in this little boy earlier. He had a palpable desire to make his dad proud, but perhaps worried that he would fail. "Your Daddy told me about you before we met, and he told me how wonderful you are, and how well you do in your preschool classes, and how proud he is to have you as his little boy…" Brennan had never felt comfortable around children, but felt an inexplicable bond with this particular boy.

He raised his head as his eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Really? My Daddy said those stuffs?"

"Yes," she replied definitively. Then she cocked her head playfully. "Did he really tell you that he thought I was the smartest person he knew?"

"Mm-hmm," Parken nodded in response, then took a deep breath. "DAAAAAADDDDDDYYYY!" He yelled through the apartment, not realizing that Booth was just in across the room, listening to their interaction.

Brennan startled at the outburst, unsure of what she'd done to upset the child.

"Whoa, Buddy, not so loud, huh? Remember we talked about this on the way over - _inside voice_?"

"Oops," he looked apologetically at their hostess. "Sorry, Dr. Bwrennan…"

Brennan looked up at Booth, "I don't know why I upset him. I didn't mean to say anything wrong, Booth…" She looked close to tears and Booth felt his heart ache for her misunderstanding.

"From what I could hear, you didn't do anything, Bones," he stepped closer to them and squatted down, extracting his son from her lap gently. "Why are you yelling at the top of your lungs, kiddo?"

"Dr. Bwrennan didn't know you thought she was the mostest smartest person ever, so you gotta tell 'er." He spoke intently at his father while holding his gaze. "And she said I gots time to learn to know the letters and then I can be smart, too. Like you." His wide grin spread as Booth chuckled and start to lower him to the floor.

"You already _are _smart, Parker," he spoke to his son while he extended his hand to his partner to help her up off the floor. "You're the smartest in your class, right? Your teacher tells me so whenever I pick you up." He winked at Brennan but then felt his breath hitch slightly when she stood nearly toe-to-toe with him once up on her feet.

From just above his knee level, Booth felt a tap on his leg. "You should tell her, Daddy!"

Brennan grinned softly at the situation. "It's ok, Boo—"

"You're the smartest person I've ever met, Bones… You humble and amaze me every day. I love being your partner..." He cut off her dismissal, keeping his voice soft, caressing her with his words.

Brennan felt her breathing falter and she struggled to know how to respond. Luckily, the pair was metaphorically saved by the bell. The oven buzzer went off, causing her to jump slightly and she backed away a little, uncontrollably grinning like a fool as her cheeks grew pink with embarrassment. Moving her eyes down to the miniature version of Booth, she nodded her head in the direction of the kitchen. "Would you like to help me, Parker?"

Jumping into action, the boy trotted towards the promising aroma of food. "Yay! Dinner!"

The partners chuckled at his anticipation and Brennan turned away from Booth to take dinner from the oven, allowing him a few moments to admire her as she moved. Breaking himself out of the trance, Booth inhaled deeply, wondering where their partnership was headed, and for the first time since their thwarted almost-tumble-in-the-bed, he felt confident that they were on the same path. The look he saw in her eyes just seconds before told him her feelings were reflective of his, and he smiled.

B/B/B/B

The boys ooh'ed and ahh'ed over Brennan's lasagna, cleaning their plates completely (Booth cleaned his twice, in fact). Over the course of the meal, Booth could see his son grow more and more comfortable with his partner, and surprisingly, he could see the same happening in reverse, as Brennan's ultra-clinical facade fell away and she laughed more, analyzed less and conversed on a level that his son could actually understand. She asked him about his teachers and what lessons he learned in the half-day sessions he attended. She was thrilled to learn how much Parker really enjoyed school, even at his early age.

When she started to clear the table, Booth stopped her, insisting that she sit and relax, but she had other things in mind. Thanking her friend and partner, she turned her attention back to the child sitting across the table.

"Parker," she folded her hands in front of her. "I have a present for you."

"Really?" He bounced up to his knees. "But I didn't buy you nothin'..."

"That's OK, Parker, I don't expect anything. But first, there's something that I need to tell you about it," she bit her lower lip. "I didn't have time to wrap it…" She tilted her head and watched his expression, which appeared unfazed.

"That's OK. I just throw wrapping paper out anyways…" He shrugged his little shoulders and grinned, his arched eyebrow looking very much like his dad's. "But I gotta ask Daddy if I'm allowed to have it. I'm not s'posed to take a present if Mommy or Daddy don't know."

"That's fine, Parker, you can go ask your dad. I'll get the box, ok?"

Parker skipped into the kitchen just as Booth was coming out. "You about ready to go, Buddy? We should probably let Bones get back to her evening." He smiled as he swung the boy up against his chest, feeling the little legs wrap around his torso in a familiar and comfortable fashion.

"Nuh-uh, Daddy… Dr. Bwrennan has a pwesent for me." He grinned maniacally as he gripped the broad shoulders that held him strong.

"Parker… You know you're not supposed to ask people for things… We've talked about this." He pinned his son with a pointed stare.

"He didn't ask, Booth," Brennan stood between the living room and the dining room, watching the father and son interaction. "I told him that I had a present for him, but he wouldn't let me give it to him until he asked you first." She smiled as she tilted her head to the side, settling her eyes on the elder Booth's dark browns. "Is it okay, Booth?"

"Uh, well, yeah, I guess it's fine," he stuttered slightly then raised one side of his lips in a goofy grin. "Thanks, Bones."

He put Parker down and watched as the boy ran into the living room to claim a spot on the couch. Booth stepped closer, looking down at his partner as she maintained her position and met his gaze openly. "You didn't have to get him anything, Bones. I know Christmas isn't really your thing…" He reached up and brushed an invisible thread from her shoulder. "I mean, the dinner was enough… We would have just had a burger at the diner, but instead, you cooked this awesome dinner for us… It was an unexpected and very welcome gift."

She took a half step closer, "I'm glad you came over." She glanced down at her own hands then back up into the handsome features that had been secretly haunting her dreams for nearly two years. "I haven't had a holiday dinner for years… In fact, I'm usually out of the country… I would have been in South America _this _year if we hadn't been quarantined."

He smirked, thinking about their time locked inside the lab. In just a couple of short days, he learned a lot about his partner, and in turn, he knew she'd learned a lot about him. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm counting myself pretty lucky right about now, that we were locked in that damn lab…"

"AM I S'POSED TO COME OUT THERE!?" Parker's impatient voice echoed through the apartment, interrupting the quiet moment they were sharing and causing them both to blush.

"No, Parks, we're coming…"

"No Parker! We'll be right there…"

They both answered simultaneously as Brennan turned back towards the living room with Booth close at her heels. They found Parker sitting on his knees in the corner lounge chair, surrounded by most of the contents of his stocking, indicating that he had re-opened his little bag of treasures after they'd spent the time repacking it before dinner. He was gripping his _Polar Express_ DVD case in both hands, closely examining the images on the cover. Looking up as they entered, Parker watched as the adults circled his chair and sat down on the couch.

"Have you seen dis movie, Dr. Bwrennan?" He held it up for her to look at. When she shook her head in response, he grinned. "Can we watch it afta you give me my prwesent?"

"Parker, I think Bones may have some things to do this evening… She only invited us for dinner, not the entire evening…"

"Actually," she reached for the outstretched DVD. "I didn't have any plans tonight. I was just going to write a little bit, so if you guys want to stay for a movie, that's fine…" she met Booth's eyes. "I bought that TV after you told me I should, but I don't have any movies…"

He grinned at her willingness and turned to his boy. "Well, buddy, I guess you charmed her into it…"

The preschooler fumbled out of his seat and came to stand between Brennan's knees, looking up at her, feeling drawn to her in a way he didn't fully comprehend as a child. "Can I call you 'Bones'? Like Daddy does?"

Never one to've liked nicknames, Brennan felt a slight twitch in her abdomen. She was still getting used to having a name other than her own that wasn't intended to be malicious. She knew the adorable little boy looking up with hope in his eyes meant no harm; he just wanted to be as much like his father as possible. She hesitated a moment longer and waved off Booth's attempt at assuring her she could say 'no' to Parker's request.

"You know, Parker, no one else is allowed to call me 'Bones' besides your Dad… I make everyone else call me 'Dr. Brennan'." She watched his intelligent eyes to see if he could comprehend what she was telling him. "I don't really like nicknames, but your father insisted on calling me 'Bones', and I finally grew accustomed to it." She smiled at the crinkled brow. "That just means I got used to being called 'Bones' by your Dad." She brushed away an errant curl from the boy's forehead as he nodded, still waiting to find out if he could use the term of endearment as well. Unable to deny him, she smiled warmly. "Yes, you can call me 'Bones,' too. But no one else is allowed, OK? Only you and your Dad…"

He launched himself against her body, nuzzling into her in such a fashion that only a child could get away with, and she closed her arms around his tiny body, realizing how small he was and wondering if his mom was a small-framed woman. Slipping into anthropological-mode, Brennan smoothed her hands down Parker's back, feeling his bone structure from his shoulders to his waist, and when the boy released her, she continued by dragging her hands down his arms to his wrists. Recognizing telltale signs, she smiled at the child and dipped her head.

"You're going to be tall like your Daddy when you grow up. Maybe even taller."

Happy to hear such a revelation, Parker turned his bright eyes towards Booth. "Daddy! Did you hear dat? I'm gonna be big like you are!"

"Hmm," he chuckled, "I heard, Buddy. That's awesome. I can't wait. Then I can sit on your lap for a change!" He reached forward and pulled his son onto his thighs playfully, loving the fact that he was a cuddly child and instantly grateful for how their Christmas was turning out. "Did you tell Bones thanks for letting you call her by her special name?"

Shaking his head against Booth's shoulder, he stared at the woman sitting next to them, still not fully understanding the depth of her permission. "Thank you, Bones," he grinned.

"You're welcome." She leaned forward and removed a box from the coffee table, pushing her weathered messenger bag off as well, tucking it on the floor next to her. "Do you want your gift now?" She held up the box and Booth noticed a shimmer in her eye resembling that of an unshed tear as she watched his son move across the center cushion, closing the distance between himself and the package.

"Yeah!"

"Manners, Parker…"

Reprimanded, the excited boy blushed. "YesPleaseAndThanksMerryChrwistmasI_Luv_It." He figured he'd get them all in at once, just in case he forgot after he finished opening the box.

Both adults burst out laughing and Brennan handed him the box, watching him slide off the seat and move his present to the coffee table to open. Grabbing a stray piece of wrapping paper that was still taped on the side of the box, he thrust it towards his dad's partner. "Hey! You said you didn't have time to wrap it, but you did! Look!"

Suddenly embarrassed, she snagged the paper, trying to cover up for her error. "Oh, I didn't have enough to finish wrapping it, sorry, Parker."

Unfazed, the boy turned back to his prize. "S'ok, Bones."

Booth watched as she avoided his eye-contact and shoved the scrap of torn paper into the bag near her feet, crumpling it with the unmistakable sound of other wrapping paper buried in the bag. He wanted to ask her the back story, he wanted to know why she had a present that she thought would be appropriate for a child and why it had previously been wrapped. But he didn't get the chance to ask anything, because the next thing he knew, his son was squealing in delight at the contents of the package.

Turning to look up at her partner, Brennan knew Booth had questions for her, but she carefully avoided them. "He may be a little young for it now, but I still think he'll like it. And he can use it as he gets older," she tried to draw his attention to the coffee table. Silently begging him not to ask her anything just yet, she was grateful that he simply smiled at her in appreciation and turned to see his son checking out his new item.

"What is it, Bub?"

"I dunno," a little shoulder shrugged, "but it's _cooooool_!" Parker spun around. "Look Daddy! You're head is BIIIIIIG!" He held a tripod table-top magnifier up to his face as he looked at the adults. "LOOOOOK!"

"Oh, wow, Parker, it's a magnifying glass." He smirked - of course his partner was going to turn his son into a squint on the first day she met him. "Say 'Thank You' to Bones."

Lowering his present, he scowled a little as his eyes adjusted back to normal in that split moment. "I did already…"

"Say it again, be nice."

Rolling his lip between his teeth, Parker looked up at Bones, then playfully raised the glass back up to peer at her. "Thank you, Bones! Wow! You're eyes are sooooo big... and sooooo blue!" With the typical 2-second attention span of a four year-old, he turned back and placed the tabletop magnifier over his DVD case, enlarging the cover art, ooh-ing and ahh-ing as he examined it in an all-new light. "Dis is _sooo _neat….." he muttered mostly to himself as he then moved over to the chair that held the rest of his presents from Santa.

"Thanks, Bones." Booth's comment was quiet and grateful.

Unable to resist the shiver that ran up her spine at the sound of his voice, she smiled then looked over at him. "Christmas should be filled with happy memories, right Booth? Not memories of having to talk to his dad through sealed doors… or memories of parents not being there…" Her words drifted and he knew she was lost in her own sad thoughts, which broke his heart.

"Right, Bones," he brought her back to the present. "And it should be spent with friends and family… with loved ones whenever possible…" He sat back, stretching his arm across the back of the couch until just his fingertip reached his partner's shoulders, and he glanced at the blissful antics of his child. "I'm glad you're not in South America, Bones."

Smiling, she also watched as Parker haphazardly removed the few remaining contents from the depths of his stocking, placing each item beneath the magnifying glass in turn. "I'm glad too, Booth…"

B/B/B/B

Parker was snoring softly in the lounge chair as Booth and Brennan finished watching The Making of _Polar Express_, Brennan having thoroughly enjoyed the film. The remnants of popcorn and snacks were scattered on the coffee table and Parker's stocking was once again empty, its contents strewn across Brennan's living room floor.

"I understand why Parker likes that movie, Booth," Brennan said softly as she stared at the sleeping child. She couldn't explain the feelings that were at war inside her body. For years she fought to keep people at a distance, resisting emotional attachments to anyone who could possibly cause her pain. But in one afternoon of knowing Parker Booth, she felt an overwhelming desire to protect this child as if he were her own. Over the brief course of her partnership with Booth, and during their time apart after he fired her and she subsequently hit him in the middle of the bullpen, she struggled to _not _think of him every day, failing at the challenge each time.

Knowing he had lost his partner once again to a daydream, he quietly observed her. He noticed how relaxed she was in her own home and how comfortable she appeared to be in their company. In fact, looking at her in that moment, he couldn't remember ever seeing her so relaxed, and it was obvious she had lowered her near-constant guard as she let her head fall back against the couch.

Then she spoke, so quietly he almost didn't hear. She didn't turn to face him. She absently ran her fingers across the throw pillow clutched in her lap as she continued to watch Parker while he slept.

"It was a present from my parents. The last thing they ever purchased for me..."

Moving his eyes from her partial profile, he zoned in on the tiny tripod magnifier as it sat atop one of Parker's new books.

"Bones..." Booth wanted to assure her that there was no need to part with such a sentimental gift.

Unthwarted by his quiet interruption, she continued. "I've carried it for years… from foster home to foster home, to my college dorm, my first apartment, and finally to the lab…" She rolled her neck and immediately locked eyes with her partner. "I never opened it. I always thought that if I unwrapped it, it would be final - I would never again have something to look forward to…" She fought back a torrent of emotions and swallowed her tears, hoping against odds that they wouldn't spill from her eyes. "So I kept it wrapped up… It became a memory, or maybe a _reminder_, that my parents _must _have cared... at least a little bit…" Her doe-eyes begged for understanding. "It couldn't have all been a lie, right, Booth? Parents are supposed to love their children, so their affections couldn't have _all _been lies…"

Reaching for her, Booth gripped her arm firmly and pulled her to him, thankful that she pliantly acquiesced. "They _loved _you, Bones." He wrapped his arms around her as she settled against him, tucking into his side and pressing her cheek against his shoulder. She brought her legs to rest across his thighs and he wrapped a wide hand around her outer leg, just above her knee, holding her close as he pressed a kiss into her hair. "How could they not? You're _amazing_, and I suspect you always were..."

"I'm not an easy person, Booth… I know that… I don't trust people, I don't let people in..." She fisted his t-shirt in her hand, resting it against his chest.

"You let _me _in…"

She raised her face, brushing her nose against his cheek and inhaling his familiarly comforting scent. "You didn't leave me much of a choice, Booth."

He tightened his arm around her shoulders and flexed his wide hand against her thigh. "You coulda locked the door," he teased.

"You would have broken the hinges or shot the lock or whatever you _cops _do..."

"Yeah, probably," he shrugged a little, effectively bringing her face closer to his as he looked down at her, closing the gap until barely a couple of inches separated them. "Do you want me to go?"

"No," she said honestly, craning her neck to meet him in the middle of the short distance keeping them apart.

"Hmm" he hummed as he pressed his lips to hers, reacquainting himself with the feel and taste of her as she immediately tugged at his lower lip.

As the kiss deepened, she moaned and he growled in response, each swallowing sounds of pleasure. Breaking for oxygen, Booth cupped his partner's cheek, pressing soft kisses against her opposite cheek and wherever else his lips fell. He was reluctant to move, but he knew he had to, so he slowly lessened their contact.

"I should really get going, Bones. Dammit," he growled, "I don't want to, but..." he nodded to his son, who was still snoring softly in the chair at the other end of the room. Booth was afraid that once he left, she would shut him out of her life, rebuild the wall he had slowly been chiseling away, but he didn't know what else to do. He was an adult, for Christ's sake, _and _a father, so he shouldn't be caught making out like a teenager on his partner's sofa if his boy awoke.

But, as his eyes fell to Brennan's swollen lips once more, he couldn't resist another taste, so he leaned in again. She was an puzzle to him; a puzzle without a solution, but one that he was hell-bent on trying to unravel. She was private yet outspoken, scary-smart but naive and innocent, and every damn time he looked into her eyes, he was certain to drown in her pools. She could spend time with virtually any man she wanted, and yet, even in their off-hours, they could often times be found in each other's company. And no matter how hard he tried to resist her, he felt himself falling harder with each passing day.

She wrapped her hands around his head, holding him in place while she kissed him in response. Nipping at his lips, her fingers mapped his cheeks, his ears, his hairline… She mumbled something inaudible and in a momentary rush, she didn't care that he couldn't understand.

She shifted and felt his desire pressing against her leg, her mind going into overdrive. From what she could feel, Booth was very well-endowed and all she could think about was how often she was forced to deny her feelings for him, which were increasing on a daily basis. She put out of her mind the amount of times she had tried to bring herself to orgasm, or the nights when other men were doing their damndest to give her a satisfying climax, but she wasn't able to peak until she closed her eyes and let Booth's face and the memory of his rich baritone voice fill her thoughts. Those were the nights she would explode with abandon, moaning his name, much to the dismay of the men who soon after found themselves expelled from her apartment.

Those were also the nights she would call him, sometimes with the premise of asking about a case, or requesting breakfast at the diner before work, or just to say hi. She knew Booth wondered about her random calls, but he never questioned her motives outright. Instead, they would talk about whatever was on her mind, _whatever she fabricated to be on her mind_, until the time came that they were both making each other yawn in succession over the airwaves, and she would sleep soundly through the night.

Pulling back, she searched his ebony eyes, seeing all the desire she was feeling staring down at her. "If you want," she said hesitantly, hoping she wasn't out of line, "you can put Parker in the spare room."

Booth weighed his options, torn between taking his son home to his own bed where he knew Parker would sleep soundly through the night, or taking his partner up on her suggestion which would ultimately give his son a safe place to sleep _and _offer the privacy he desired to be with her.

The decision wasn't difficult.

"I'll be right back," he pushed up from the couch as he pressed a kiss against her hair and moved over to where Parker slept. "Oh, um, wait," he turned and flashed a crooked smile at the beautiful flush that crossed her cheeks. "Which one is the spare room?"

Chuckling, she rose to her feet and tilted her head. "C'mon, I'll show you…" She led the way down the short hallway and motioned for him to follow.

Parker stirred when Booth removed the Osh Kosh overalls and placed him between the cool sheets. Instinctively, Brennan reached out and stroked his forehead, despite his father being right there.

"Shh… Parker, it's Bones…" she whispered and kissed the boy's hair. "You're going to spend the night at my apartment." She chuckled gently when the sleeping boy nuzzled in her direction, groggily reaching for the motherly touch. Booth watched in quiet amazement as his best friend took over tucking Parker's blanket around his tiny body.

"Daddy?"

"I'm here, Bub. I want to you to call me if you need anything, okay? I'm right down the hall..." He watched Parker's eyes flutter closed, and knew that the child was only partially hearing him, but he hoped that his son would sleep through the night. "G'night, buddy. Merry Christmas. I love you."

"Love _you_, Daddy." He sighed as he tucked down into the blanket. "Love you too, Bones." A sleepy grin spread across his tiny face.

The adults locked eyes over the now-sleeping child, neither breathing, neither moving, both feeling the electricity. Booth shifted his weight from one foot to the other, nodding towards the door. "I, uh, guess we should…"

"Yeah," she cleared her throat quietly. "Yes, we should... let him sleep…" She was suddenly shy, which was ridiculously endearing to Booth and he moved towards the door, extending his hand in her direction. She joined him immediately, weaving her fingers between his.

Tightening his hand, he let her lead the way from the room. Following close behind, crowding into her space as she guided him in the opposite direction from the living room, Booth felt his heart racing. As they entered her meticulously neat bedroom, Booth locked the door quietly and pulled her against him.

"I've been wanting this for a long time, Booth," she admitted as he maneuvered their bodies towards the bed, groping her curves and sucking on her neck as they moved. "Thanks for coming over tonight..." She nuzzled against his neck, rubbing the bridge of her nose across his prominent Adam's Apple, feeling it bob up and down as he swallowed.

Brennan's bold confession released the alpha-male from within, and Booth crawled over her prone body, trapping her between his much larger frame and the mattress. "No regrets, Bones."

Startled and excited by the predatory look in her partner's eyes, Brennan cupped his face and pulled his mouth to hers once more. "That would _never _happen, Agent Booth." The words that had haunted her for years came rushing back with a sudden flood of desire. She smiled into the kiss as he crushed her in the most delicious way. The feeling of his mouth moving over hers reignited an electricity that had laid dormant for two years.

Booth slid his mouth along the edge of her square jaw until he reached her soft earlobe. Flicking his tongue out, he growled softly as he pulled her lobe into his mouth. "Merry Christmas, Bones." He settled against her body, pulling her arms above her head, intent on showing her how much he had enjoyed their first Christmas dinner together, and how much he loved being her partner.

**Postscript A/N **

**There is a strong probability that this will have a little somethin'-somethin' to serve as a second chapter, and perhaps, to give us a glimpse of what their Happy Ending might look like. Maybe… It all depends on the feedback I receive for my efforts. **wink** **

**Many thanks to the fabulous dharmamonkey for proofing this for me time and again, though she didn't get a shot at this final version, so any mistakes in here are clearly mine and should not reflect upon her. She has been so supportive of me when my Muse decided to take off to a warm, tropical island someplace, leaving me high and dry for a while. I have placed an ad in the local paper looking for a new Muse…. Good help is so hard to come by these days. **

**Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought. If you would like to have an open dialogue regarding my work, please be sure to sign in when leaving your review, because if you don't, I can't reply…. That goes for you-know-who as well... Yes, you know who you are. If you continue to leave me negative **_**bashing **_**reviews without signing in, I will continue to moderate them and we can never converse about my apparent lack of writing skills…. **

**peace and love to my friends.**

**~jazzy **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello and welcome back! **

**Here is the second chapter by popular demand! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or the rights. I'm just having a little fun writing about them! **

_Booth slid his mouth along the edge of her square jaw until he reached her soft earlobe. Flicking his tongue out, he growled softly as he pulled her lobe into his mouth. _

_"Merry Christmas, Bones." _

As Booth blinked the sleep from his eyes, he stretched his body, long and slow, like a cat waking from a luxuriously restful nap. He ran his open palm along the sateen sheets on which he rested. He felt a smug smile lazily grow as he realized it wasn't all a dream... He really _was_ waking up between two sinfully high thread counts, engulfed by her scent, happy to feel the satisfying aches that accompany a night of passionate lovemaking.

Sweet memories filled his mind reminding him of how beautiful she looked straddling his body as she rolled her hips in perfect rhythm with his. Booth's fingers itched to feel the silky skin and pliant flesh beneath his wide span once more. He turned his head in her direction but found only crumpled sheets where she should be laying. As he reached across and brushed over her pillow, traces of her warmth remained, permeating his calloused hand, indicating that she hadn't been away for long and he moved his eyes towards the bathroom. His attention was diverted, however, by the faint promising aroma of coffee.

Booth pushed the covers down, anxious to find her. He located his discarded boxers slung over the cedar chest at the end of her bed and padded into the darkened bathroom first.

Brennan stood in front of the coffeepot, filling two mugs with steaming dark liquid when Booth's strong forearms snaked around her waist from behind, effectively trapping her between the counter space and his powerful body as he strained to be near her. Her entire being thrummed immediately in response to his close proximity and she hummed appreciatively as she inhaled deeply. Her mind registered the combination of minty toothpaste, the freshness of Ivory soap and the erotic scent that was very simply '_Booth'_.

She smiled softly and tilted her head to the left, letting him skim the right side of her neck with his sensual mouth. Her mind drifted to the late-night/early-morning kisses that his lips had peppered along the sensitive length of her body, around the swells of her curves and deep into her most intimate places. Brennan had long suspected that she and Booth would be sexually compatible, but what she experienced the night before far surpassed even her wildest imagined scenarios. Booth was a selfless lover, paying special attention to her every need, while fulfilling what she knew must have been some of his own fantasies.

"Mmmm," he growled against her sweet skin. "Good mornin', beautiful…" He spread his hands wide across her abdomen, molding their bodies so her back was flush to his still-bare chest. He grinned when she raised her arms to encircle his neck, granting him a pleasing eye-full of her cleavage, courtesy of the gap in her v-neck tee.

Letting her head fall back against his shoulder, she chuckled, hummed and sighed simultaneously. "I was going to bring your coffee in to wake you," she threaded her fingers into the spiky mess of bed-head hair. "I wasn't sure what time you had to leave…" She wanted to explain her early rising, but didn't want him to think she was pushing him out.

"I missed you…" He grinned, innately knowing that there would be precious few times he would be able to sneak in needy little statements like that and actually get away with it.

"I wasn't gone very long, Booth," she reprimanded him quietly, but appreciated his sentiment more than she would openly admit. "I thought you'd like coffee before Parker wakes…" She arched her spine so her bottom pressed into the firmness she could feel growing against her lower back as he continued his tantalizing assault of her neck.

Without removing his lips from her skin, he raised an eyebrow and peeked at the glowing clock on the coffee maker, seeing that it was only 5:48 am. "I know what I'd like better than coffee before Parker wakes up," he teased as he forced her to turn in his arms. Once she was pressed against him, almost involuntarily hooking a leg around his, he palmed her perfectly-shaped ass and ground against her. "Unless you'd rather just have the coffee..."

"If I were to be completely honest, Booth, I'd admit to you that I've never really enjoyed sex in the morning." She ran her fingers from his neck, mapping the smooth skin across his shoulders and down his chest. She met his intense eyes and felt her stomach knot as her breath hitched. "But I foresee my preferences changing…" She was breathless as she wrapped her arms around his torso, crushing her breasts between them, making certain he could feel the stiffness of her nipples through the thin material of her shirt. She kissed him hard, pouring into the exchange, all the unspoken promises and emotions that she wanted to tell him, but was afraid to vocalize.

Pulling back in desperate need for oxygen, she looked at him seriously, moving her gaze between his dark brown eyes. In the split moment when he flashed a gentle smile, searching her face before meeting her pale pools once more, she was mentally transported back to the previous night.

Brennan thought of his intensity and passion when she surrendered to his control. She marveled at the sheer, raw power he had demonstrated as he loomed above her. Her knees weakened at the memory of Booth's skills as he pushed her over the edge time and again. And finally, she was awestruck at his unyielding selfless desire to ensure she was satisfied with his every move, asking permission or seeking guidance in what she wanted, what she preferred. She recalled blissfully losing count of how many times she shattered at his mercy before he finally gave in and granted her what she had begged of him. She could feel herself blush with warmth at the memory of wrapping her legs around his narrow hips and feeling his length expand inside just before he came.

"Last night...was amazing, Booth. I want you to know that it was very… _different_ for me… It was..._more_ than just sex." Brennan wanted to tell her partner that he was the best she'd ever been with, but she didn't want it to sound like a cliché or insincere. She wanted him to believe her and understand that she was feeling more than a simple biological urge.

As if reading the seriousness in her mind, Booth shifted so he could place her up on the countertop, remaining tucked between her thighs but able to reach up and cup her smooth, square jaw. "Last night was incredible, Bones. It was more than I'd ever dreamt it would be."

"You dreamt about it before? About us?" She flashed an uncharacteristically shy grin and hummed quietly as he pulled her against him. She wrapped her legs around his body and locked her ankles behind his back.

"Was that a rhetorical question, Bones?" He mumbled quietly against her neck as he placed a soft wet kiss just below her ear. Her head fell back as his lips travelled the surface of her silky skin.

He slid his hands down, one again cupping her ass and lifted her weight easily, turning to carry her down the hall. He paused only momentarily outside the guestroom door to listen for any indications that Parker was awake. Hearing only the soft snore of his four year-old, Booth looked up at Brennan as she studied him intently.

"I woke up and took him to the bathroom shortly after 4:00, so I think we're good for a little while longer… " He whispered against her ear as he moved them further down the hall. He winked playfully when a pretty shade of pink filled her cheeks.

Once they were locked inside her room, Booth lowered her to the bed carefully, pushing the soft tee up just enough to expose her taut abdomen. Brennan watched him look at her; the hunger in his eyes was plain to see. When his wide hands moved to push the shirt up the rest of the way, she grabbed his wrists in her thin fingers and waited for him to meet her gaze.

When he finally did, she reached one hand up to palm his stubbly cheek, tentatively stroking his masculine skin. She allowed her eyes to travel over the fine features of his face, watching as his forehead crinkled in silent question. She let a single digit trace the outline of his lower lip, following its movement with clear blue eyes as he pursed his mouth into a kiss that he pressed against the pad of her finger.

Meeting his silent question with a soft smile, she clarified. "It wasn't a rhetorical question, Booth. I am genuinely curious...Have you really dreamt about…About being with me?" Her words, whispered in that rich alto timbre with which he was quickly falling deeper in love, sent a chill through Booth's body. Her insecurities and vulnerabilities were evident, breaking his heart a little to think that she would doubt the way he felt about her.

"Ever since the first time I saw you on stage... And _hell_," he grinned softly, "even more since that first kiss, Bones." He settled to her side, never breaking eye contact. He propped his head up on one arm and laid his open palm against her bare tummy, flexing his fingers softly. "_Every_ fucking night, I dare say."

He watched as her mind processed his admission, a flicker of recognition passing behind her eyes, but she remained silent. He continued to voice his thoughts. "I remember the way you smelled that night...the way you looked and felt." He traced his fingertips lightly across her tummy. "I like to think about the way you leaned across the table and pinned me with a look that made me instantly hard, and you reminded me that since we weren't working together, we could sleep together…"

He grinned when she very obviously remembered the moment he was referencing, resulting in her eyes lighting up.

"Sometimes I think of that night, Booth. That was the first time I ever truly ...felt something when kissing another person." She thought about her words carefully, measured her confession. "I was… It...well, it scared me, Booth… That's why I hopped into that cab and came home without you. I'd never felt anything like that before. And, I haven't felt anything like it since… Not until last night, anyway." She smiled warmly as her eyes searched his face.

Booth slid his palm across her abdomen and wrapped it around her waist as he leaned in to kiss her. What would have been a simple statement from anyone else was a huge step for his partner. She always remained guarded from emotional entanglements, but here she was, lying prone on her bed beside him, with her t-shirt half-way up her torso as she admitted to feeling more than basic biological urges to be with him.

He pressed his lips to her tenderly. "I told you about my gambling addiction that night... You were the first person I'd voluntarily offered that information to. I wanted you to know that I saw my demon, I knew my demon, and I _would_ beat that sonofabitch." He traced his fingers along the bunched edge of her soft nightshirt, which was hugging the under-curves of her breasts. "You were so far outta my league that I wanted to get better, Bones... I knew I needed to improve my life if I would ever be worthy enough to be with you..."

Brennan listened as Booth's voice grew thick with his admission and she knew it was difficult for him to admit a weakness. She might not know a lot about emotions, but she certainly contained a wealth of anthropological information regarding alpha-males. And she knew Seeley Booth was definitely an alpha-male.

"At the time," she breathed as she gently pushed him to lay on his back, "I didn't fully comprehend the importance of you telling me about your gambling problem." She quickly shifted her body so she was straddling him. "But when I confided in Angela about the kiss, and the way it made me feel, and what you had confessed in the heat of the moment, she told me that it was significant. She made me realize that a man like you - strong, independent, and smart - wouldn't reveal such a flaw so readily if you didn't feel something deep, metaphorically speaking." She tapped on his chest. "In here, as Ange put it."

Booth was mesmerized by the look in her eyes. As she spoke, she was studying his face, his body and the path that her hands took across his skin. He knew she was studying him, just like she does to her bones...mapping his body and memorizing his musculature and bone structure. Her voice was husky and so incredibly sexy to him. She seemed distracted momentarily from her musings, slowing her caresses as she noted the drastic contrast of her pale creamy skin against the wonderfully rich olive pigment of her partner. The anthropologist paused her movements and raised her eyes back to his, smiling when she recognized the heated look of desire and understanding staring back at her.

"That night," she breathed softly as she ran her palms up the middle of his chest and fanned out, following the defined line of his clavicles. "You told me that you felt like this," she raised a hand and motioned between them, "was going somewhere."

One side of his mouth curled at the thought and he ran his open hands along her thighs, from her knees to her hips, and held her firmly in place. "I did."

"Do you still believe that?" She raised a shoulder slightly as she tilted her head. "I mean, that this is going somewhere _beyond_ this room?"

Booth met her gaze with seriousness, searching for any sign of fear, any indication that his partner was intending to run. Finding nothing more than a woman asking a man for his honesty, he gave it to her. "I do." He slipped his fingers into the waistband of her panties, and then added, "I _hope_ it does..."

Brennan appeared to be satisfied with his answer and rolled her hips gently, feeling the evidence of his desire growing beneath her heat. With a rosy blush blooming across her upper chest and a white-hot heat blossoming at her core, she bent down and pressed a kiss to Booth's neck, just below his ear. "Make love to me again, Booth." Her whisper ghosted against his wet skin where she had just kissed, and it sent shivers through his body.

"With pleasure," he growled as he deftly flipped them over, managing to push her shirt up once more, this time, forcing her arms over her head so he could pull it off completely. He hovered above her prone body, a predatory expression flashing across his face while his pupils dilated in arousal. He visually mapped her body, holding both her wrists in one large hand, still above her head, while the other toyed with the waistband of her string bikinis.

Brennan squirmed in needy desire, desperate for him to be on her_, inside her_, immediately. Her body thrummed in a lusty way that she'd never experienced with any other lover. She felt greedy and insatiable as his eyes blazed a trail of fire across her torso. When his fingers looped around the thin elastic that hugged her hips, she involuntarily thrust upward, trying to make that contact she hungered for.

Releasing her wrists, Booth dragged his fingertips down her body, pulling little moans of pleasure from deep within his partner's chest when he rounded the side swells of her breasts and dipped briefly into her belly button. When his hands finally mirrored each other against her hipbones, tugging impatiently at the only piece of material keeping him from seeing _all_ of her, he met her eyes once more. "You're gorgeous," his voice was thick and husky, his breaths grew shallow. "Fucking unbelievable, Bones…"

Maintaining the position in which he placed her, Brennan kept her arms stretched above her head, but fisted her hands, needing to make some sort of movement. "Booth," she breathed, "touch me… Please, I need you…"

Not needing a second invitation, the agent thumbed the elastic and tugged sharply, ripping the flimsy strap easily. Seeing her body in the light of morning, as opposed to the filtered light from her night stand, Booth could see the telltale signs of her difficult past, much of which had only been revealed to him in brief snippets when he read her file. Prior to his official offer that they become partners, he had read her FBI file, unbeknownst to anyone except his higher-ups. The information contained therein offered poorly-detailed reports of uninvestigated suspected abuse at the hands of the people who were supposed to have been caring for her while she was in the foster system. Like little vignettes of Brennan-history, the reports had offered just enough for him to have an understanding of her insecurities, and had given him just enough fuel to spur on unspeakable anger that someone had hurt her.

He traced a long, thin scar that ran the length of her inner thigh. As soon as he touched the reminder, he felt her body stiffen and his eyes darted up to hers. He could see unshed tears threatening to escape. Booth watched as she rolled her bottom lip between her teeth and lowered her arms, almost as if protecting herself. Booth immediately grabbed her hands and pulled her into a seated position as he dropped to back on his heels, still positioned between her parted legs.

Pissed at himself for spoiling the mood, he set about to make it right again. He held her to his chest, wrapping his arms protectively around her torso. "I'll never hurt you, Bones. I give you my word. And if I ever find the people who _did_, I will break them with my bare hands… Every last one..."

Listening to his words, feeling the way his voice reverberated through his chest and into her ear as she pressed into him, she instinctively trusted him, knew he was telling her the complete truth. "That's why I can never tell you the names of the foster families responsible, Booth." She looked up from where she nestled and traced his prominent Adam's apple with a single fingertip. "I would lose you if you took matters under your own charge." She felt the protuberance move in time as he swallowed and she craned her neck to press a kiss to his throat. "Now that I've got you, Booth, I can't possibly lose you."

Her quiet admission was exactly what he wanted to hear and his body took over, pushing her gently away from his chest, but covering her immediately with his much larger frame. "I'm not goin' anywhere, Bones." He pressed a kiss to her mouth as his fingers found the warm junction where her legs met the rest of her body. He parted her lips with his tongue at the same time that his thick fingertips mimicked the action down lower, eliciting from her throat, the most delicious purr he'd ever heard that he aimed to make her do it again. "I won't leave you, baby." He mumbled against her ear as he tugged her soft lobe into the heat of his mouth and, as if he knew she would object to the newest moniker, he chose that moment to thrust his fingers deep inside.

She arched against him, opening her thighs wider in invitation. When he pressed his hand against her a second time, he stayed inside, stroking her inner walls deeply. She opened her eyes to find him watching her intently, studying her reactions to his touch and she found a certain solace in knowing that she wasn't the only one cataloguing reactions. She searched his face, his eyes and finally stretched her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss him again. "I don't want you to leave, Booth." She muttered against his lips and smiled into the kiss when she realized he was squirming out of his boxers.

Without breaking apart, Booth lined himself up blindly and rocked forward, filling her completely on the first stroke. The partners found an easy rhythm, just as they had the night before, almost as if they'd been doing it for years as opposed to less than ten hours. The quiet of the room was filled with sighs and whispers, mews and grunts, endearments and promises. The couple rode the waves of ecstasy through the crests and swells as they drew from each other's strengths and vulnerabilities, completing one another in all aspects.

When Brennan shattered, Booth was watching, noting with fascination the gorgeous color that flooded her upper chest and face and the beautiful contrast it had against her normally pale skin. When she opened her eyes to meet his gaze, he grinned at the darkened blues and stilled his movements, letting her ride out the rest of her climax before he picked up the speed that his body desired to fill his own needs. The smile that spread across her mouth took his breath away and he bowed his head to kiss her swollen lips.

She wrapped her deliciously weakened legs around his hips and pulled him into her. The night before they had used condoms, even though she was on birth control and they were both clean, given their regular physicals for their jobs. Booth had insisted that it was her body, and he would use protection out of respect, but, in the heat of their morning coupling, he hadn't pulled on the sheath. Brennan felt warmth swell inside her chest at the realization that there was nothing between them at that point, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Stay," she rocked her hips against him, encouraging movement.

He pecked the corner of her mouth and curled one side of his mouth into a grin. "I'm not leaving… I won't change my mind, Bones." He started moving slowly, fully aware of the euphoric sensation of her body wrapped around him completely as he was buried deep. He pulled out almost completely before pressing back in fully. "I'm right where I wanna be, Babe." He hooked one of her legs around his arm, hooking it neatly into the crook of his elbow. Pulling out completely, his re-entry was more forceful the next time as he felt the unmistakable tug low in his belly. He hooked her other leg in the same fashion, around his left arm.

"Booth," she pressed her head into the mattress, struggling to stop her lids from falling closed in pleasure as he spread her in the most luxurious of ways. "I mean _stay_…" She stretched her arms down and grasped his waist as best she could from her position beneath him. "Inside, Booth… I want to feel you…" She rotated against his movement as he caught onto her meaning and it was clear that he struggled to maintain the animal that was threatening to break free as he pressed in deeper.

"Cum for me, Booth. Let me feel you..." Her order was gentle but crystal clear. Whispering against his ear, she made him an offer that she innately knew that he, as the alpha-personality that he was, would not be able to resist. "Take me, Booth...Make me yours..."

Unable to contain it any longer, Booth's self-control started to unravel at her request. His tempo and rhythm increased steadily as he got caught up in the moment to focus on his own needs. "Bones," he growled through clenched teeth. "Baby, I can't… Are you sure….." He wanted to go for just a few minutes more… He didn't want it to end. But there was no stopping the freight train once it started down those tracks and he pounded into her, laying all his weight against her with each plunge, his rhythm faltered.

"Yes, Booth… I want you to." She stretched up and bit his shoulder gently, soothing the sting with her tongue as he plunged deep.

The sharp little pain sent him flailing and he pulled out completely once before thrusting back into her with a deep grunt.

Once.

Twice.

The third bottom-out found him spilling into her in white hot spurts and blindingly bright flashes of light behind his eyes.

"Fuuuuuuck," he groaned against the side of her head, torn between licking, sucking or kissing her. When the post-orgasmic trembling in his body slowed, and his arms threatened to drop his entire body weight down onto his partner, Booth rolled, scooping his arm under her waist and pulling her to him. He sighed in contentment when she came willingly, snuggling into his side while pressing a kiss to his sweat-slicked pec.

"I think I've learned to like Christmas again, Booth," she smiled against his skin. "It may even be my favorite holiday now…"

"See that, Bones? There is such a thing as Christmas Magic." He nuzzled into her disheveled hair and spanned his hands wide, covering as much of her as possible. At her chuckle, he eased the pressure in his fingers and lowered his voice. "Yesterday was, perhaps, the best Christmas ever, Baby."

"Don't call me 'Baby', Booth." She smiled, knowing he'd do it anyway.

"Mm-hmm," he responded noncommittally as he rolled again, so they were almost chest-to-chest and he could look down at her from beneath heavily-lidded eyes. "But your other nickname is no longer unique to just me, so I need a new one." He teased her, knowing that it was a battle he would lose, but unable to resist the temptation.

"It's unique to you and Parker… That still counts as unique to you, because he's a little-you." Brennan's voice was groggy and sated. She fought off sleep as she felt his warmth encompass her.

"Let's take a nap, Bones. We'll discuss it later." He kissed her lightly, knowing they still had a couple hours before his typically sleepy-head son would wake.

She nodded in agreement and burrowed into his chest as he pulled the blanket up like a cocoon. "The nap suggestion is acceptable, but there is nothing to discuss on the nickname topic…" She innately knew this would become a battle of wills and knowing her partner, she would probably lose this fight, not that she minded terribly. But she couldn't let him see her willingness to give in just yet.

"M'kay, Baby." He kissed her forehead and mumbled as sleep was pulling him in. "Thank you, Temperance."

Smiling, Brennan joined her partner in sleep, clutching his waist in her possessive palm as she draped herself across his body. "Merry December 26th, Booth. " She grinned at her own humor.

His light snore was her response and she felt inexplicably free and happy as she curled around his body. It was a holiday of unexpected presents, from revealing the truth to Careful Lionel's family, to passing on a long-forgotten gift to a child who would enjoy it, and finally to two people who had nothing to give one another except for themselves. And, she mused as she drifted into sleep, the promise granted by the man holding her possessively was the only present she'd ever wanted. A good man, who respected her, protected her and loved her, though he hadn't said the words aloud. As whimsical as it sounded to the Anthropologist, the woman inside of her was exceedingly pleased.

"Thank you for my present, Booth..."

**Postscript A/N **

**So there was no beta on this chapter, any and all mistakes are my own, I will allow no one else to be blamed. **

**Please let me know what you thought. I know it's past Christmas now, so the seasonal feelings might be passé, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same. **

**Peace & love, my friends**

**~jazzy**


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